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South Carolina prisoners have used tractors to produce food

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Prisoners in South Carolina are doing their own farming.

Used tractors and equipment are aren't usually the first thing to come to mind when people think about a jail, but prisoners in South Carolina are working to make their own food through farming efforts.

According to a report from the Post and Courier, inmates in the state farm three locations and end up producing commodities such as grits, eggs and milk. The Department of Corrections notes that the state has 24,000 prisoners, all of whom are fed through this effort.

In fact, it costs South Carolina about $1.51 per day to feed an inmate. That is the lowest amount of any state in the country.

"And it remains that low largely because of farming operations," the department said recently.

As a result, taxpayers are saved almost $600,000 every year, which is especially important as governments try to cut back on spending in the face of more difficult economic times. South Carolina is also planning a dairy that will be run by prisoners, a project that cost $7 million.